Helping to reduce water consumption in your own home is easy, and needs just a few simple changes to your routine.  Every little bit helps make a difference in conserving this precious resource of Mother Earth:

Washing machines and dishwashers

Make it a full load when you use your washing machine or dishwasher. Miss just one wash a week and you’ll save over 5,000 litres a year.

Flushing the loo

Every time you flush the loo, it uses about 9 litres of water, approximately a third of all the water you use in your home. Most toilets don't need a full cistern to flush effectively and various products exist to help conserve your water supply, saving anything from 1 litre to 2.5 litres of water each time, such as Hippo bags and Save-a-flush bags. In some areas, Save-a-flush bags are provided free of charge to water supply customers.  Check with your utility company.

 Washing vegetables

Wash vegetables in a bowl, not under a running tap. Soaking vegetables makes them easier to peel and a running tap wastes 10 litres a minute.

Cleaning your teeth

Turn the tap off while you brush your teeth and rinse at the end with a mug of water - a family of four can save a bathful of water every day by following this example.

Chilling Water in the Fridge

Place a jug of water in the fridge for a ready supply of chilled water, rather than running the tap until it runs cold. Don’t leave it longer than 24 hours.

Boiling the kettle

Filling the kettle to the brim wastes power as well as water - only boil as much water as you need for a cup of tea or coffee but make sure the element is covered.

Bath or shower

A bath uses around 80 litres of water whereas showers use an average of 30 litres in 5 minutes.

Washing the Car

Use a bucket and sponge to wash the car instead of a hose.  A hosepipe connected to the mains uses as much water in an hour as a family of four use in a day.